


Running Out of Time

by xerogravity



Category: The Power of Five - Anthony Horowitz
Genre: Additional Characters, Gen, Temporary Amnesia, pre-Oblivion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2020-04-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:07:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23808115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xerogravity/pseuds/xerogravity
Summary: They had gone through the door unprepared.What with all the destruction taking place, and death at their heels, they didn't have time to agree on a location.Now they are further apart from each other, even more so than in the beginning.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	Running Out of Time

**Author's Note:**

> This was my chosen project for English honors during my sophomore year (2012), I had to write a small sequel for a book of my choice. As Oblivion had not yet been published (was to be, but not at the time of the assignment), I chose Necropolis. I have not changed anything, other than done some quick editing, so what you've read is what I turned in. I know it went really fast toward the end, as I was in a rush to finish it at the time.
> 
> Hope you like it (feel free to let me know what you think and if I've made a mistake of some kind), and make sure to read 'The Power of Five' series, it's really good.
> 
> So in short, I don't own the series, just borrowed it for an English assignment, all right to Anthony Horowitz.

_They had gone through the door unprepared._  
_What with all the destruction taking place and death at their heels, they didn't have time to agree on a location._  
_Now they are further apart from each other, more so than in the beginning._

**Part I**

Matthew, or Matt as he prefers, woke up in a deserted church.

It was dark, cold, and it didn't help that he was disoriented, having no clue as to how he had gotten there. It's not everyday that people wake up in churches with no recollection of getting there in the first place.

As his eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, he realized there was another presence in there with him. He made out the tall figure standing a few feet in front of him. Matt realized it was a man from the short, scruffy hair and masculine build. Taking a closer look, the man was gaping at Matt with a horrified expression.

Matt shuffled around a bit and became aware that he was leaning against a door. Looking up, he saw the faint outline of a shape about the doorway. He frowned wondering what it was but was interrupted by a strangled sound coming from the man. He turned around just as the man spoke.

"Y-you! It's you!" The man's voice was deep, laced with fear, eyes wide and face a pale color.

Before Matt could say anything, the man turned around frantically, nearly tripping over his own feet, and dashed for the front door. Matt got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. If the man got away, Matt would be in danger.

Without even thinking about it, he thrust his hand out and watched in wonder as the man stopped cold. He clenched his hand into a fist, and brought it back quickly. His sight trained on the man, he saw the body be violently thrown backwards. A cry rang throughout the church as the man's head came in hard contact with the corner of a pew. His body went limp but Matt knew he was only unconscious, not dead.

Slightly shocked, yet awed at what he had done, Matt shakily got up and took a few deep breaths to calm himself. He'd rather not dwell on what had happened just yet. Still curious as to what the shape was, he turned around, his eyes locked on it.

Above the wooden door, tall enough that he didn't have to look up too far to see shape, was a five-pointed star.

Something tugged at his memory. He felt, no he knew, that it was connected to him. As was the door. He felt a malevolent aura coming from it, yet surprisingly, he wasn't scared. He tugged on the doorknob but it was locked.

A small piece fell into the puzzle.

Matt, the door and the star were connected in some way. Something crucial. He tried to remember what it was but just as he was close to remembering, it slipped out of his grasp. Frustrated he punched the door, instantly regretting it as pain shot up his arm. Tears pricked his eyes from the intense pain but he fought them back. He had more pressing matters to attend to. Matt bit his lip trying to ignore the aching pain and tried to figure out where he was.

Looking around the empty church, he came to the obvious conclusion that to answer his own question, he would have to go outside and investigate. It was his best chance unless he wanted to stay stuck in a church all morning.

Deciding that he'd rather not stay there any longer, he made his way to the front door. As he walked, he thought of possible places where he could be. For all he knew, he could be in America or maybe London, away from home. Heck! Matt didn't even know where home was. At least he remembered his own name.

As he neared the door, something shiny caught his eye. He stopped and looked around for it, finally spotting a full length mirror stashed away in a secluded corner of the church. He stood in front of it and stared at his own reflection.

Matt's dark hair was in disarray, pointing in different directions. His eyes, an electrifying blue, stood out on his pale face. They were wide with surprise yet tinted with a sadness that he couldn't describe. His lips were chapped, and his face, though pale, was covered in scratches and small bruises with dried blood. He was sturdily built, wearing faded jeans, worn out sneakers and a grey, tattered T-shirt. A disheveled sixteen year old.

"You look like a homeless kid from the streets." He mutters to himself. His voice deep, and raspy from lack of use. "Maybe I am a homeless kid...this is ridiculous. I'm standing in a church I barely woke up in, knocked out a man using some kind of 'power' and now I'm talking to myself."

Matt turned away from the mirror and walked to the door, stopping just before he could open it. He hesitated.

Did he really want to find out what had happened and who, or what, he was?

Or would he rather stay ignorant to it all and remain in the church until morning when he would be taken care of?

He weighed his options.

On one hand, if he left, there was a chance he could find the missing pieces of the puzzle and regain his memory. With a chance that he could be in danger if he did. Was he willing to take that risk?

On the other hand, if he stayed, someone would find him the morning and take him to the authorities, or they could take him in. Yet judging from the man's reaction to him previously, they could be afraid of him. There would also be the chance he would be in danger.

Stay or leave?

Matt sighed frustrated, pulling at his hair in exasperation. He grimaced at the pain in his arm from punching the door earlier. He started pacing back and forth in front of the main door, the choices swirling around in his head.

_Richard._

He stopped abruptly in his tracks. He dared not breathe or make a sound.

_Richard._

That name. it struck a chord within him. It seemed familiar. Almost father-like.

Matt strained to hear the voice again, or maybe his conscious, but to no avail. He was surrounded by silence once again.

Richard. The name alone brought a small smile to his lips.

That decided it.

Matt placed his hand on the wooden door, took a breath, and pushed it open revealing the world outside.  
  
  
  
  
  


**Part II**

The first thing that Matt noticed was the brightness.

The light assaulted his eyes, which were unaccustomed to it considering he had been in a dim, lighted church for a while. Eyes squinted tightly, he began to get used to the light and slowly reopened his eyes. After blinking a few times, Matt looked at the sight before him.

The streets were full of dirt roads in some places, cobbled in others. They were filled with people wandering around. All with the same tan skin, ratty clothing - although some wore cleaner ones - and most were barefoot. You could easily pick out the lower-class from the upper and middle-classes. There were a variety of markets stationed on the streets. Some selling fruit, clothes and others meat. People crowded around them looking at the merchandise with a keen eye. It was noisy and dirty but it was a fair place.

Matt walked carefully down the streets away of the curious looks he received from the onlookers. He noticed some looked at him as if wondering if he was worth mugging. Ignoring the looks sent his way, he continued on his way, head held high although he had no idea where he was going.

He had enough sense to know that if he appeared lost, he would be easy prey to thieves. But if he looked confident and sure of where he was going, he would be safer.

In the back of his back, he had a dim memory of walking down these streets before. Walking with a boy his age, both scared for their lives.

Matt tried holding on to the memory but it slipped away yet again. Why did that always happen? When he was so close to finding another puzzle piece, it escaped him, leaving him even more confused than before.

Not watching where he was going, he bumped into someone. He fell down on his bottom with a groan at the ache he knew he would later feel, though he was thankful that the ache in his arm was more or less gone. Matt looked up at the stranger ready to apologize and was met with a dark skinned man, not surprising since everyone in the streets was of the same skin tone. No it wasn't the skin color. It was the man's face.

He was clean shaven, with dark eyes and mouth turned upwards as if to smile. He seemed familiar, as if Matt had met him before. He probably had but had no recollection of it.

The man held out a hand to help Matt up but upon seeing his face up close, he froze.

" _Matteo_?" The man asked in disbelief, and Matt heard a slight accent.

Giving Matt no chance to reply, he gripped his arm and yanked him upright. Matt had barely stood when the man was dragging him along. They weaved in and out of the streets not once stopping to rest. The man kept murmuring in Spanish lowly. People gave them dirty looks at they rushed by rapidly. They finally stopped at a beaten up house.

The outside was dirty white with two closed windows facing the streets. It was isolated from the other homes but still near enough in case of an emergency. The man holding Matt knocked loudly on the front door, shuffling from foot to foot. The door opened to reveal another man. This one was lighter in skin color and older.

" _Ah Diego, has regresado. Y quien tienes_ -" He cut himself off as his eyes rested on an exhausted Matt.

He pulled both of them into his house, eyes flashing from side to side before closing the door. He lead them to the small living room and told Matt to wait while he talked to his companion. Matt was left alone, and standing awkwardly in the room, barely recognizing the fact that the older man knew English. After waiting quite a while, he decided to sit down on a nearby chair and examine the place.

He looked around the bare white walls of the room, the small brown couch opposite him and a small television placed adjacent to him. He could hear snippets of their conversation, but didn't understand much as they were speaking Spanish. Once again, he vaguely remembered speaking to someone, the other occasionally smiling as Matt stumbled over a word or sentence. After looking some more, he found that aside from the chair he occupied, the couch and the television, there was hardly anything else.

After some time, the older man returned and Matt assumed the other had left as he had heard the door closing. The man sat down across from him and studied him.

"Do you know who I am?" The man queried.

For a man whose native language was Spanish, he spoke English without a problem.

"No. Can you please tell me where I am?" Matt asked in return, praying that he might finally get some answers.

"All in good time Matt. Well not really. I must hurry in filling you in. I assume that you don't recall any of the past events?" It was more of a statement than a question but Matt nodded nonetheless.

"I woke up in a church recently. All I know is that I came through a door with a star sign above it. And knocking some man out with some type of... power." Matt frowned as he quickly summarized his morning. Hesitating slightly at the mention of the man, hoping he wouldn't sound stupid. It didn't seem to faze the other.

The man sighed, "Yes. Well, to start of my name is Antonio. you are currently in Cuzco, Peru. In South America if you must," he paused to let the younger boy take in the information, "I am part of a group whose job it is to protect you five and help you in any way we can."

Matt sat up straighter. "Us five? What do you mean? And what group are you talking about?"

Antonio shook his head. "So many questions, so little time. To put it simply, the group I am involved in is made up of the descendants of the Incas. I would go more in depth on the history of the group but time is precious. As for you other questions, you Matt, are part of a group yourself. Four others complete the group."

Matt tried to wrap his head around the given information. It made no sense at all, but at the same time, it made all the sense in the world.

"You are known as The Five."  
  
  
  


**Part III**

The Five.

Just with those two words, memories started coming back. Flashes of past events.

A knife about to pierce his heart. A group of people chanting all around him. A woman being eaten by acid.

Giant spiders and monkeys bearing down on him, rising from the desert out of outlines in the sand. A man with a deformed head shooting at him. A boy with a broken leg shouting at him to stay.

Twin boys looking at him expectantly. One of them with a faraway look in his eyes. the other with a desperate look.

China. The most recent event. People being infected with a disease. A powerful storm destroying everything in its path. A girl taking the shot for someone else.

Walking through a door in a church with them and a man who he recognized as Richard. A five-pointed star above the door.

Memories came rushing back into his head at a fast pace. Matt had to close his eyes and breath, head spinning and stomach turning. There were blank spaces left in his mind still, but he knew there was a chance that they would return with time. For now, he would make do with what he remembered.

When he opened his eyes and looked back at Antonio, he had an idea of what he had to do. He was Matthew Freeman, leader of The Five. He couldn't fail them now. Not after everything that had happened.

"I have to find them. Before it's too late."

Matt was determined to finish this once and for all. But he knew he needed the help of the others.

The circle had been broken and it was up to Matt, as the leader, to bring it together again.

He just hoped wasn't too late.  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  


_He was standing on an island surrounded by a dark sea._

_It churned angrily, dousing the shore with its cold water. The sky was pitch black but everything was illuminated by a full moon. Shadows were cast across the water and the island._

_Matt wasn't worried about the sea at all. He had bigger worries. And they were sitting in small boats in the water of the angry sea. Waves threatening to turn over the boats but without succeeding._

_To his left was a dark skinned boy who looked Peruvian._

_"Matteo! Matteo!" The boy kept calling out, looking around blindly._

_To his right were two boys. The twins were calling out as well._

_"Scar! Matt! Pedro!"_

_Ahead of him was an Asian girl, and Richard._

_"Matt! Can you hear me?! Matt! Scott! Jamie!"_

_He so badly wanted to answer them, but he couldn't._

_Every time he tried, a strong gust of wind started up and ripped the words out of his mouth. His yells were lost in the wind, never reaching the others._

_They were so far away, especially the twins, Scott and Jamie. He took this as a sign that they were the farthest from them. Pedro was closer as well as Scar and Richard._

I'm coming guys. I'm coming. _Matt thought to himself._

_If anything were to happen to them, he would know._

_He was in the dream world after all. A place made for The Five to communicate with each other._

Stay safe.


End file.
